To Dream Again
by lindsey and marie enterprises
Summary: Special rewrite of Star of Dreams in honor of our account's 3rd anniversary! By Marie
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: Happy Three Years to our page! Marie here. In honor of our anniversary, I decided to take a little walk down memory lane to my first piece published on this page—Star of Dreams! And, as sort of a tribute (not the Panem strain) of how much change a writer can go through in just three years, I have rewritten this little oneshot; it shall be in three chapters to commemorate the three years of writing partnership I have with Lindsey. I hope you enjoy it!_**

Chapter One

An unsuspected tree root nearly trips me as I sprint into the shelter of the nearby woods, everything still frighteningly vivid in my mind. What had started out as a peaceful, normal day has drastically been transformed into a nightmare. I can remember the stillness of my sheltered Mirkwood home suddenly snap, like that twig I just stepped on. The Orcs pouring in like a flood of darkness, separating me from my parents…

_My mother and I had just finished discussing our plans for the day when we heard the cries; sounds that were foreign to me, but made my mother tense, the light hand she had on my shoulder tightening for some unknown reason._

_"_Naneth? Mani naa ta?_" I ask, watching her jade green eyes darken with worry. She did not answer me, however, because another noise reached us._

_"Tirnel!" my father shouts, rushing to us with his bow and arrows in hand._

_"_Ada!_" I exclaim once he reaches us. "What is happening?_"

_He puts an arm around me, his voice soft. "Orcs are coming. They've broken through our outer defenses." Tightening his grip on me, he turned to my mother. "Tirnel, both of you seek out Tauriel; she will lead you to—"_

_"No." My mother tosses her midnight black hair over her shoulder. "I'm going to fight."_

_"Tirnel," my father says, his voice almost scolding. "You cannot; Elien needs—"_

_"Legolas, do not speak of people needing me," my mother replied, cutting my father off for the second time. "You are the…" Her voice trailed off as we heard the infernal screams from earlier, only now much closer, more horrifying. "Legolas…" _

_"_Rima…_" he breathes, his voice low as he withdraws his hand from me and sets an arrow to his bowstring. "_Rima!" he repeats, and I begin to will my feet to obey him.

_"Elien!" My mother exclaims, her long hands framing my face stopping me as she locks her eyes with mine. "Be brave. For me. You know where to go." _

_As soon as those words left her mouth, she turned to my father, and they were gone._

_When I lose them, I turn away, searching for the long fiery red mane that would lead me to safety—but not before going to arm myself with a bow and quiver full of arrows as soon as my eyes find a table laden with such weapons. Whatever is out there must be serious; weapons are rarely seen in the hall that leads to the throne room. _

_A slender hand touches one of my own as my fingers close around a bow. "Tauriel!" I exclaim in relief as she faces me._

_"Your father needs all those who know how to fight at his side," she says quickly, stuffing knives and other weapons into her belt. "You must go without me. I am sorry, Elien." That was the last I saw of the redheaded woman before she vanished, lost in the swarms of people rushing about in no perceptible order—something very unusual here. _

_As I force my feet to move towards my destination, I hear another cry, one louder and more familiar than the rest. It is my father, wailing my mother's name. The sudden outburst somehow sparks a reaction in me; I bolt to the thick, wooden doors that will lead me away from all the sounds of chaos and into the quiet woods._

_As soon as the doors close behind me, I feel the stillness, the almost peace that they bring. I do not let it touch me long before I break into a sprint, my legs pumping in the direction they seem to know without my mind willing them where to go._

A new noise startles me out of my thoughts: a low growl that sends chills down my spine. Pulling out an arrow from the quiver slung on my back and fitting it to the bow I have had a death-like grip on ever since I had touched it, I turned to where the sound was coming from.

It is what looks like a man, but his body is like the earth around my home when it rains, and all the clothing he has is a tattered loincloth around his waist. I bite my lip to prevent a scream from pushing past them as I quicken my pace and pray that the thing—no doubt one of the Orcs my father had spoken of—did not spot me.

I skid to a stop at my hiding place—one of the tallest trees in the forest—and climb to the highest bough I can reach. For a moment, I manage to hoist myself up to look beyond the thick leaves and shade the forest brings to look around me; I can see what looks like all of Middle Earth from here, seemingly undisturbed by the events that have just taken place. I lean against the broad trunk, catching my breath, and do the only thing I can.

I wait.

Who knows when those Orcs will be gone? Or when they'll be back...I shudder, drawing my cloak around me and closing my eyes to try, just for a moment, to forget.

XxXxXxX

"_Elien, nin mir._"

The phrase is spoken in a breathless, almost broken voice, but even its soft whisper breaks the still air, enough for my eyes to snap open. The phrase is an endearment I have rarely heard, and only from one person.

"_Ada,_" I sigh, relieved. His presence must mean the danger has passed. I slip down the tree and into his awaiting arms, and we are silent, for the stillness of the forest night can be more comforting than words.

I stir, looking at my father's partly bruised face and his blue eyes, reflecting sorrow and pain in the moon's soft rays. His long blonde hair is only slightly frazzled, but in all, not a member of it is drastically out of place. It's almost amusing, how our hair cannot be phased by a small fight or a large fight. But, something is different. Inside.

"Where is Naneth?" I ask.

Ada's broken blue eyes drift down to me, like pools full of unshed tears. "_Amin hiraetha_," he replies, his voice barely able form the words.

"What do you…" The impact of his words finally crash down upon me, and I take a few steps away from him. "How…why?" I feel an lump forming in my throat that prevents me from saying any more before I kneel down on the forest floor, tears rushing out of me like a flood.

I barely register my father kneeling beside me. "_Amin hiraetha_," he repeats, his own voice breaking with tears. I say nothing in reply; I only tighten my hold on his cloak as we mourn together for the loss of my mother—his wife—a woman who gave her very life to protect us.

Eventually, Ada gently shakes me. "Elien, we must return; the king must know that you are safe." Numbly, I rise, leaning heavily on my father for support as we silently wind our way back home. Nothing stirs, or even sings, as if the woods itself has been robbed of its voice.

It seems everything has had some thing taken from them this day.

A/N: Please let me know what you think! No flames, please; those shall go to Smaug for a snack. Thanks all!

****Translations****

Naneth? Mani naa ta?

Mother? What is it?

Ada

Father/Daddy

Rima!

Run!

Elien, nin mir.

Star, my jewel.

Amin hiraetha.

I am sorry.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I looked out of my window, trying to decide how much time has passed since my home was attacked. How much time had truly passed since my whole life had been ripped apart from the seams, and I had confined myself to my chambers to try to make sense of it all? Has it been days? Or merely hours? Time is truly a lost thing here. I from the trees I had fled to lifetimes ago to the city. It seems everything is fighting to pull itself back together, even Father and me. Despite the hole that Naneth left in our hearts that cannot be filled, we are back on the mend, and we are…recovering. The walls are repaired, the are streets cleaned, and the smell of smoke has finally vanished.

The men have vanished from the streets as well. They, along with my father and grandfather, have isolated themselves in a room, in hopes of making our home safer. Their meeting place is right below my chambers, so I can hear the rise and fall of voices and, occasionally, my father's name, always following "Prince", of course. Sometimes the men speak in the Common Language, other times in Elvish, depending on how heated the topic of discussion is.

But today, the room below me is deathly quiet. I managed to catch sight of a man embracing his children before entering his home. The council is over, then. I hear my father's steps approaching the door.

"What was that about?" I ask, my back to him and my arms wrapped around myself. I hear him moving around sitting on my window seat beside me.

"The king has taken all suggestions to fortify the security of our borders to heart, and he assures us that every logical measure is sure to be taken."

I glance down at him. "That is all?" When he sighed, I sat beside him, looking into his deep blue eyes. "No, Ada...there's something more. Something you're not telling me."

He takes a deep, shaking breath, taking both of my hands into his own. "I have decided, Elien…that you are going West."

"West?" I ask, and then I understand. _West. _The Undying Lands. An honor reserved for Elves. The only way to get there is by boat. And none ever return to Middle Earth. "You—You're coming with me, aren't you?"

My father's eyes began to fill with tears. "I cannot. I am needed here."

"Ada…Why? Why now?" I fight back my own tears. Not for me, for my father. For this decision, what it could do to him.

"Because—because I cannot let any harm come to you. If anything happened to you after what happened to your mother…" He closed his eyes for a moment, calming himself. "If I can prevent that, I will." Ada framed my face with his hands, looking deep into my eyes. "You are the most precious thing to me on this Earth, Elien. I swear to you, we shall meet again." After pressing a kiss onto my forehead, he rose, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I took a shaking breath, looking around at my home. This decision, one I cannot repeal or escape, is one of the greatest gifts my father could have given to me. In the West, well, there is no pain. Or suffering, or anything evil. The life Ada and Naneth always wanted me to have.

I can do this—I will do this. For my parents.

"Here we are; the boat is ready." Elrond announces. I am clinging my father's hand, and I think I am about to squeeze the life out of it. The harbor is beautiful; truly the last place one wants to see before leaving to go West. My mother's best gown, a soft blue and purple, rustles as I walk as leaves the trees bear around me clinging to my hair, almost like they are begging me not to leave the only home I have ever known behind.

At the boat, Ada puts his cloak around me before wrapping his arms around me, surrounding me with his warmth._ "Namarie. Im anuro an sidh sui le ego. Elien, nin mir a nin gel." _

My throat tightens at his words; I can barely speak. _"Amn mela lle, Ada."_

One last embrace, one last look, and then he is gone, along with all the heartache, all the sadness, and all the pain that this Earth has given me. I shake them off like a heavy winter cloak and bask in the sweet sunrise of a far green country.

However, I do scan the horizon every day, waiting to see another boat, no matter how great or small, to come, bearing my father. Like the cloak I still have around my shoulders, he gave me his word, and I know he shall hold to it. I do not know for sure when he will, but I have one thing that keeps my eyes searching for another set of sails.

_Estel_ is what I have.

Hope.

****Translations****

_Namarie. Im anuro an sidh sui le ego, Elien, nin mir a nin gel. _

Farewell. I wish for peace as you go, Star, my jewel and my joy.

_Amn mela lle, Ada. _

I love you, Father.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note: Marie here one last time for this story! I'm actually pleased with how my writing has come—from the oneshot that I penned my freshman year of high school to this three-part story I did my best to revise! I hope everyone that has read this enjoyed it; feel free to drop a review, and check out mine and Lindsey's other stories! Here we go!_**

It's been Ages, literally, since I got off that boat. Physically, I have not changed, though I longed to see my father again. After my arrival West, I have met the Ring-Bearers: The Three Elves, the wizard Gandalf, the savior of the Free World: Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, and his Uncle Bilbo. Curious as always, I asked about their stories and how they got the title of Ring-Bearer. They unfolded a tale of the quest to destroy the One Ring and that Legolas—my father!—played a big part. They tried their best to tell me every battle he helped win, every emotion he seemed to have, and his unlikely friendship with a dwarf named Gimli. I sighed when he was said to be sad, laughed when he was happy, and cheered over every victory. He was alive, and he helped bring peace to Middle-Earth. That was pure joy in itself. After the excitement went down, I realized I missed him, with every passing moment, just a little bit more. I was beyond thankful for the memories each of the newest arrivals had of him, and that was comforting as I sat on the white shores, watching quietly every day for some glimmer of hope.

Then, as I scanned the horizon one day with Gandalf and Frodo, a ship came along my line of vision.

"Look! A ship! A ship!" I cry, pointing to the direction of the approaching craft.

"But I thought we were on the last ship to leave Middle Earth, Gandalf." Frodo looked at the wizened, old man.

"Yes, we were. But others will find a way, like these did," he replied to the Hobbit. I take off towards the pier, as my self-established tradition, to welcome the approaching guests.

A short red-haired man pulled the makeshift boat ashore, as another man gracefully stepped out of the it.

I froze, my eyes widening. I know that figure all to well.

"Ada," I whispered, trying to believe it was not a dream. "Ada!" I shout, catching his attention before breaking into a run. As he found me, a look of pure bliss crossed his face as he opened his arms and I crashed into his embrace.

"_Cormamin lindua ele lle!_" he laughs, a smile on his face.

"I missed you," I whispered, hugging him tight.

"And who is this wee lass?" the red-haired man grunted, looking towards my father with a raised eyebrow.

Ada pulled away from me for just a moment. "Gimli, this is Elien, my daughter." He looked towards me again. "Oh, I missed you so."

"And I you," I replied, remembering what he had told me in Elvish. "Come on, there are others that came before you!"

And, after we met his friends again, that was what we did. We sang, we talked, we laughed, we did everything together, just like a father and daughter should.

Forever.

****Translations****

_Cormamin lindua ele lle!_

My heart sings to see thee!


End file.
